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Nutrition guru Alia Almoayed hopes a series of instant sound bites on TV and online will help reduce the bulging belts of Bahrain’s growing number of overweight adults and children.

She is focusing on sending a healthy Ramadan message with her unique lifestyle show which, if it attracts enough attention and following, will become a staple ingredient of regional channels.

In hard-hitting two-minute segments broadcast on Bahrain TV (btv) host Alia is tackling a range of health issues as well as promoting fitness and well being.

The show entitled Shrayha Alia? – which translates in English to What Does Alia Think? – currently delivers quick and easy to implement health tips to the busy every-day individual during the holy month.

The Arabic programme, subtitled in English, also touches upon a number of topics and questions asked during Ramadan including the benefits of fasting, exercise and sensible eating during iftar.

The 35-year-old mother-of-three, from Hamala, said: “I feel that health information is too confusing and too much of a hassle to acquire, especially in the fast-paced lifestyles we endure today.

“So, I wanted to deliver easy information to people and advise them what is ‘doable’. It saves people having to look up the information in books or online and saves them from getting confused by conflicting statements which are out there.

“This show gives the viewer exactly what they need to know, minus the fluff, in just under two minutes.

“It seems short, but it works! Each episode gives the information and the action needed to live a healthier lifestyle. It’s that simple.”

Alia came up with the idea of the show after noticing the short-attention spans that people have developed, which she believes is a result of the increased use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Blackberry Messenger.

She explained: “People no longer appear to have the patience or time to watch an hour-long educational programme.

“So, I pitched the idea to my producer Saleh Nass of Elements Productions and realised that he had the same idea and was just about to pitch it to me!

“We were both passionate about the topic and believed it could work. The aim was to get people in the region healthier as quickly as possible.

“We have started with a Ramadan series with the hope of continuing with health tips throughout the year.

“It is done in Arabic because I feel that’s where health information is mostly lacking. However, all episodes have English subtitles as well.

“I’ve poured all my Ramadan advice into the current episodes. The fasting experience becomes much more pleasant once people get the advice and implement it.”

Concerns over fasting during Ramadan has grown in recent years after studies revealed that some people put on weight by over-indulging during iftar on unsuitable fatty foods.

The show is being aired twice-a-day on BTV at 4.15pm and 8pm. It is also available online at www.shrayhaalia.com

Alia is now working on getting the programme picked up by a major network to continue throughout the year and to expand the discussion over a variety of health issues.

“We are currently looking for a TV network to adopt the show so that we can keep it going,” she said. “And, at the end of the day, our main objective is to deliver a healthy lifestyle message to as many people as possible.

“Not everyone can afford a private consultation with a nutritionist, but most people have TV and or internet access. This way we can also reach people from anywhere in the world.

“We are also going to expand the show to cover all health topics including weight loss, pregnancy, breastfeeding, parenting, beauty and much more.

“The biggest health hazard is being in denial that our health needs attention. People seem to turn a blind eye to their daily symptoms including headaches, fatigue, lethargy, skin problems and digestive discomfort, until it becomes a bigger health problem.

“Health is in the daily decisions that we make.”

Former GulfWeekly health columnist Alia is known for running a successful nutrition consultancy business, hosting TV and radio programmes, holding lectures and seminars and leading a number of weight loss projects.

She is also the author of I Want Healthy Kids, a book on how to raise children, The Dream Body Eating Plan, a weight loss guide, and I Want a Healthy Pregnancy, a book on how to enjoy natural pregnancy and childbirth.

She is also co-author of 101 Ways to Improve Your Health and hosts Dare to be Healthy, a weekly live internet radio show on www.AliaAlmoayedRadio.com

It’s been a busy couple of months for Elements on the film front – as we took part in the 5th Annual Gulf Film Festival in Dubai with 4 films: Mohammed Janahi’s Documentary “Goli Ya Helou”, Mohammed R. BuAli’s new film “Huna London” & “Under the Sky” & Saleh Nass’s “Game” – the latter two created under the supervision of world-renowned Director Abbas Kiarostami.

The week ended with Huna London receiving the 3rd prize at the Official Gulf Shorts Competition.

Huna London was produced entirely at Elements Cine Productions in association with Mohammed R. Buali and Dubai’s Enjaaz. Saleh Nass & Chaker Ben Yahmed acted as Executive Producers – and on a technical capacity served as Editor & Director of Photography on the picture respectively.

It was the first picture to be filmed in Bahrain using Silicon Imaging’s Si-2K camera (of Slumdog Millionaire fame) and a full 2K workflow was utilised throughout post-production.

Elements Cine Productions has plans to continue expanding production of films during 2012 & 2013 and is upgrading it’s facilities to match the 4K workflow currently required by digital cinema.

Huna London will next be screened at a major film festival at the end of the year – to be announced soon!

Producer & Co-Founder of Elements Cine Productions, Chaker Ben Yahmed is in Hollywood, Los Angeles where he has been taking part in the week-long REDucation programme.

Chaker’s experience as a Director of Photography both in the Gulf region & his homeland Tunisia for the past 10 years felt at home at the Red Studios where he was able to get his hands on the Red Epic, Scarlet & Red One.

“Being here at Red Studios in Hollywood has been such a refreshing experience for me” He said on a Skype call from LA “I was able to get intimate with the different cameras as well as getting familiar with the more fiddly aspects of a RAW workflow.”

In addition to plenty of filming time, Chaker was able to view his shot 4K footage and discuss best possible scenarios with instructors.

He added “It’s one thing working with the RED camera as we have in the past, it’s another having detailed knowledge of this powerful tool and preparing your self for the future of film.”

Elements is expecting shipment of it’s new RED scarlet over the coming weeks in a bid to bring 4K capabilities to the Kingdom. It’s post-production facility already hosts a full 2K workflow which will be upgraded to be able to handle 4K over the next few months.

We’ve just completed work on “Goli Ya Helou” a 35 minute documentary directed by Mohammed Janahi.

Goli Ya Helou tells the story of Ali, who is the subject of a couple of young university student’s journey to find a subject for their research project. They find Ali in the local market. Ali earns a living by playing the flute to provide for his poverty-stricken family in a harsh material society. Ali also happens to have been born blind.

Elements executive produced this documentary for Mr. Janahi as well as handling principal photography & post-production. Goli Ya Helou utilised different cameras & formats and worked on an unpredictable schedule due to the sensitive nature of the subject. This made the post-production workflow challenging – as all the footage needed to be conformed prior to editing.

The film will start it’s festival run soon. A trailer can be found here.

Please follow the link to view an exciting new opportunity within Elements Productions…….

What an interesting and taxing time it has been for the Kingdom of Bahrain since the beginning of 2011. With the National Dialogue underway, our team has been busy as usual as the technical provider for MBC/AlArabiya in the Kingdom.

We’ve been commissioned to run a half hour programme by the Ministry Of Culture to document the fantastic events of the Bharain Summer Festival 2011! These will run on BTV across each day of the festival.

For a second season in a row Elements have been tasked with the production of the (now WGA) Chevrolet Supecars ME Championship. The upcoming campaign will mark the fourth edition of the Chevrolet Motorsport-backed championship, and it promises to be the best one yet.The season will consist of six exciting rounds, to be held at four different tracks across the Gulf, including the series home track at Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, Reem International Circuit in Riyadh and Losail International Circuit in Doha.

Heading into the new campaign, the Chevrolet Supercars Middle East remains the region’s most popular and most highly regarded circuit racing series, and the only one sanctioned by the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

Best Narrative Short – 2nd Prize: One More Day (Chaker Ben Yahmed, Tunisia/Bahrain)

From ADFF:

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival presented Black Pearl Awards for its two competition categories featuring short films: the internationally selected Shorts Competition, and the Emirates Competition, which is made up of short films from the UAE as well as the other GCC nations.

The awards ceremony was held at the Emirates Palace, and was presided over by Eissa Saif Rashed Al Mazrouei, Director of Special Projects for the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, and Peter Scarlet, Executive Director of ADFF. Also in attendance were Ali Al-Jabri, Director of the Emirates Competition and Alice Kharoubi, ADFF Shorts Programmer.

It was a significant event for ADFF, as it was the first time the Emirates Competition has been a full part of the Festival’s competition. The Black Pearl Awards in the Shorts category are also an important touchstone for up-and-coming filmmakers.

Nouri Bouzid, President of the Emirates Competition Jury, and jurors Kasim Abid, Abdullah Hassan Ahmed, Ahmed Salmeen Al Ali and Haifaa Al Mansour presented the awards for the Emirates Competition. Bouzid, from Tunisia, is one of the most highly-regarded auteurs in the Arab world. Abid is an award-winning Iraqi filmmaker, while Al Mansour is one of the first Saudi women directors. Salmeen Al Ali and Hassan Ahmed are prominent among Emirati filmmakers.

Shirin Neshat, President of the Shorts Competition Jury, and jurors Suheir Hammad and Ali Mostafa unveiled the awards for the Shorts competition. Neshat is an internationally-exhibited visual artist and filmmaker. Hammad is an award-winning Arab-American poet and actor, while Mostafa is one of the most successful Emirati feature filmmakers.

The awards for the Emirates Script Competion were presented by jurors Ibrahim Almulla, Mohamed Hassan and Salah Karameh el-Amiri. Each of the three have been important writers in the developing cultural scene of the UAE.